Propeller.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED FEB. 27

W. .F. HUNTER.

PROPELLER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 14,1905.

Attorneys Inventor,

Q W a 7 No. 813,430. PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906.

W. F. HUNTER. Y

PROPELLER. APPLICATION FILED APR.14,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET z I I I 1 Witnesses Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

WILLIAM FLETCHER HUNTER, OF ARCATA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANCIS R. HOREL, OF ARCATA, CALIFORNIA.

PROPELLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2'7, 1906.

Application filed April 14, 1905. Serial No. 255,647.

To rtZZ/ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FLETCHER HUNTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Arcata, in the county of Humboldt and State of California, have invented a new and useful Propeller, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vessel-propelling devices, and has for its principal object to provide a novel and effective propelling means which may be placed wholly under the bottom of the vessel and at all times will be below the water-line.

A further object of the invention is to provide a propelling device in which water received within a casing at the lower portion of the vessel is expelled either at the front or rear, in accordance with the direction in which the vessel is traveling, each operation expelling one volume of water.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel form of casing and propeller in'which the entire volume of water will be expelled from one end of the chamber at each operation. I

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the inven tion consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of sufficient of a vessel to illustrate the application thereto of a propelling means constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views illustrating a slightly modified form of propeller-actuating means.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The hull of the vessel may be of any desired contour and provided with a keel 10 and abottom section 11, which extends for a comparatively short distance of the length of the vessel and forms the lower wall of a propeller-chamber 11, the upper wall of which is formed by a plate 12, which constitutes also the bottom proper of the vessel, and the opposing faces of the upper and lower walls of the chamber are arranged on oppositelycurved lines in order to accommodate a prope'llerblade 15 of corresponding shape, as will hereinafter appear.

Arranged within the hull of the vessel are two sets of hollow standards 16, forming guides for the reception of vertically movable bars 17, that are connected at their lower ends to the four corners of the propeller blade 15, two of such bars being arranged at each end of the propeller and the connection between the two being such as to permit movement of the bar in a direct vertical line without binding. The propellerblade is formed of a metal or alloy or may be made hollow, so that its specific gravity will be practically the same as that of an equal volume of water, and the blade will have no tendency to raise or lower.

The bars 17 are connected in pairs by crossbars 20, the central portions of which are provided with rounded dwell-faces 21, and connected to the cross-bars are auxiliary bars 22, having corresponding dwell-faces 23, these curved faces of the bars being engaged by pins or antifriction-rollers 25, carried by cranks 26, that are arranged at the opposite ends, respectively, of a crank-shaft 27.

The crank-shaft 27 is mounted in suitable bearings within the vessel and has a gearing connection 28 with a main shaft 29, that may be connected to any suitable source of power 'and may be provided with mechanism for controlling the direction of its movement and its rate of speed.

In order to reduce friction on the bars 17, the cross-bars 20 are provided with pivotlinks 30, carrying at their upper ends small rollers 31, that fit within the upper portions of the guides 16, and projecting from each link is a rigid arm 32, through which passes a screw 33, which bears against the cross-bar 20 and may be adjusted to move the antifriction-roller toward or from the guide.

The cranks are so related to each other that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 and the boat traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow the propellerblade will extend diagonally across the propeller-chamber 11, the forward end of the blade being elevated and the rear end depressed. As the shaft 27 is rotated the forward end will remain in position, while its operating-crank engages with the curved surface 21 of the cross-bar 20, and as the rear crank turns the rear end of the propellerblade will be elevated until it assumes a hori zontal position, the curved edge of the propellerblade gradually approaching the curved face of the plate 12 and. expelling the body of water from above the blade out through the rear of the casing, the reaction serving to force the vessel ahead. During this forward movement of the rear end of the propeller-blade water will enter the whole of the lower portion of the propeller-chamber, and it being assumed that the propeller-blade is now in a horizontal position at the top of the chamber the rear end of the blade will remain stationary, while the forward end is depressed until it engages against the bottom of the chamber. The forward end of the propeller-blade will now remain in the lowest position, while the rear end is depressed and expels a second volume of water, this time from a point below the propeller-blade, and in this manner the operation is carried on continuously, volumes of water being expelled alternately from above and below the blade, while the curvature of the upper and lower faces of the blade and the corresponding curvatures of the upper and lower walls of the propellerchamber permit uniformity of operation, the water being expelled at practically the same speed during all portions of the movement of the blade.

In Figs- 3 and 4 is shown a slightly-modified construction of the mechanism for actuating the blade. In this case the end bars 17 are provided with a pair of cross-bars 35, having yieldable strips 36, arranged to be engaged by approximately triangular cams 37, the cam at one end of the shaft being disposed about ninety degrees in advance of the cam at the opposite end of the shaft and the approximately triangular surface of the cams permitting the necessary dwell at one end of the blade while the opposite end is being moved to expel the water.

It will be noted that the hollow guides for the propeller-operating bars are seated within the side walls of the propeller-chamber and Will not in any manner interfere with the free inflow or outflow of the Water, and a clear passage of uniform diameter from end to end of the propeller-chamber is afforded.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is 1. The combination with a vessel having at the bottom an open-ended chamber, the upper and lower walls of which are arranged on oppositely-curved lines, respectively, a pro eller-blade fitting within said chamber an having its upper and lower walls of a curvature corresponding to that of the walls of the chamber, and a propeller-operating means for moving the opposite ends of the blade alternately and for holding one end stationary, while the other end is moved to expel a volume of water from the chamber.

2. The combination with a vessel having a bottom chamber. open at both ends, of a propeller-blade disposed within said chamber, vertically-disposed guides extending through the hull of the vessel and arranged to one side of the side walls of the chamber, rods extending through said guides, and connected to the propeller-blade, a crank-shaft, cranks thereon, cross-bars connecting the vertical bars in pairs and provided with dwell-faces that 'are engaged by said cranks, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a vessel having a bottom chamber open at both ends, of a propeller-blade arranged within the chamber, hollow guide members extending through the hull of the vessel at points to one side of the side walls of the chamber, vertical bars mounted in said guides and connected to the propeller-blade, cross-bars connecting said vertical bars in pairs and provided with dwell-faces, a crank-shaft, cranks on said shaft, crank -pins arranged to engage the dwell-faces of the cross-bars, and adjustable antifriction-rollers carried by the cross-bars and engaging against the upper portions of the hollow guides.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM FLETCHER HUNTER.

WVitnesses:

J. BOUTELLE TILLEY, WM. KELLER. 

